Archived: Insiders Thread

[elwaylite]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

To Penton: How's the work at securing a BD encoding engineer or a BD exec from Disney, Lionsgate and Fox to come and releasing tit-bids of info here? I think it'll be helpful.

Oh, any news of Lost and/or Grey's Anatomy on BD?


fuad

Someone can state if this is incorrect, but Amazon shows Lost Seas 3 on BR.

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Complete-...5540546&sr=8-7

[The Big Blue]

From the official pr

The Blu-ray release provides for all three versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind to be included on one 50GB disc through a process known as “seamless branching,” made possible with the added interactivity of Blu-ray’s software and the robust processing power of the second generation players.

This is a little worrying. First gen players won't be able to do the SB? I'm not too worried about my PS3 but this will provide fodder for the HD DVD supporters.

[DaViD Boulet]

It's never been promised that first-gen BD players would properly serve all forthcoming software. That's been a problem that BD supporters who purchased early-gear should have known about and taken in stride.

Progress SHOULD march on with BD. new Java-based content should not be dumbed-down for first-gen machines that never were produced to perform to full BD-specs.

we shouldn't argue about this among ourselves. The sooner BD evolves to incorporate its full spec of features the better for our format, and the sooner it will overtake HD DVD and kill it.

[WickyWoo]

It'll work on all players. The only thing that 1st gen aren't guaranteed to handle is PiP. The BDA has said that over and over.

[DaViD Boulet]

I can comment on the HD PiP. I heard recently that this feature has been put to pasture! Profile 1.1 is only about SD PiP. We have many sources for this information and they all confirm the same thing.

Yeh, I was surprised too to hear the news given the amount of hype created around this oxymoron. But it seems that the hardware cost is too high for dual HD decode, and demand simply is not there for the feature given the easy ways to implement the same experiences.

Of course, we are not part of the BDA. So I am happy to be corrected. Paid? Keith?

This is VERY important. Can anyone confirm or deny? Blu-ray NEEDS to have 1080p PIP functionality... not only for future 3-D applications, but for some VERY COOL stuff you could do on SE sets like LOTR. It would be a huge advantage over HD DVD's whimpy PIP feature.

If the manufacturers keep dragging BD down to make their products cheaper and easier to design, BD is NOT going to succeed like it should, especially with MS pushing HD DVD as hard as it is.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

This is VERY important. Can anyone confirm or deny? Blu-ray NEEDS to have 1080p PIP functionality... not only for future 3-D applications, but for some VERY COOL stuff you could do on SE sets like LOTR. It would be a huge advantage over HD DVD's whimpy PIP feature.

If the manufacturers keep dragging BD down to make their products cheaper and easier to design, BD is NOT going to succeed like it should, especially with MS pushing HD DVD as hard as it is.

As long as new video streams can be introduced and be ignored by the players that don't support them, the 3D could still be added later.

But, I agree that playing the HD DVD cost game would be a foolish mistake. It would mean PiP was delayed 18 months because of the lack of SD decoding power.

Gary

[GaS]

I am going to place my bet on Amir BS.

[DaViD Boulet]

wasn't his input reliable when he said we'd never see 50GB BD replication?



but I'm not willing to just assume he's wrong about this... let's find out for sure. It sounds just like the sort of thing the BD group could pull to try to make the manufacturers happy.

[cjamescook]

Can PaidGeek or any other insider comment on current (studio) BD releases vs. future HD versions of the same from Criterion? I'm asking about (a) print quality/cleanup, and (b) extras.

In the past, Criterion took pains to search out the best positive or the best negative, add extras, etc. Major studio releases paled when compared to Criterion releases. At present, HD BD releases are being handled with care in the encode, though I don't know about print selection and dirt cleanup.

My particular interest here is Kubrick's 2001, which I do have on laserdisc. It's cinemascope format and detail screams for the 16:9 ratio of HD. I know it will be a long(?) wait for the Criterion version because Criterion has announced they will wait for the format war to be resolved before releasing any HD discs.

Thanks in advance,
-Jim

[tvted]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

wasn't his input reliable when he said we'd never see 50GB BD replication?



but I'm not willing to just assume he's wrong about this... let's find out for sure. It sounds just like the sort of thing the BD group could pull to try to make the manufacturers happy.

David, Gary.

Since it might be a moment or two before paid gets back to these parts I will quote him from http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&#post11145693

Originally Posted by paidgeek on AVS

Profile 1.1 supports a secondary video stream at full bit rate at any resolution up to the primary stream resolution.

No one here has heard about any features "put to pasture" so consider this false.

We have some sample equipment now that can test PiP and the testing so far has been successful.

Ultimately it seems like a "hardware" issue and HD may not be mandatory for the secondary stream. So my question would be "Does a manufacturer *have* to support HD for the secondary stream or is resoulution implemenatation optional within the range from SD to HD?"

I liked the conciseness of your response btw Paidgeek - a lovely counterpoint to the heated purple (or would that be yellow?) florid prose that is the questioner's usual style.

ted

[gandley]

Originally Posted by tvted

David, Gary.

Since it might be a moment or two before paid gets back to these parts I will quote him from http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&#post11145693


Ultimately it seems like a "hardware" issue and HD may not be mandatory for the secondary stream. So my question would be "Does a manufacturer *have* to support HD for the secondary stream or is resoulution implemenatation optional within the range from SD to HD?"

I liked the conciseness of your response btw Paidgeek - a lovely counterpoint to the heated purple (or would that be yellow?) florid prose that is the questioner's usual style.

ted

i dont think it means that. it dosent seem to imply hardware at all.

it means the profile 1.1 secondary encoder has to support up to the rez of the primary decoder at the same frame rate.

So that means its not manatory to make use of the encoder at full rez, you can do a SD PiP feature, but you can also opt to do a full rez or HD PiP. you have the option of doing sd/HD PIP with the secondary decoder.

At least thats my take on paidgeeks comments where he says

Profile 1.1 supports a secondary video stream at full bit rate at any resolution up to the primary stream resolution

the above does not imply being limited to SD resolution, as the secondary decoder can match the full res and no more of the primary decoder.


So basicly Amir made up somthing, hoping it would get missed in his thread, in an attempt to mislead the sheep. what a class act he is. Glad paid commented.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by gandley

So basicly Amir made up somthing, hoping it would get missed in his thread, in an attempt to mislead the sheep. what a class act he is. Glad paid commented.

Well we all know that’s nothing new for Amir but after all, he must be incredibly stressed after all the good Blu-ray news this week and this tidbit on M$NBC …………….

Today on the Today Show for Joe6Pack and Mainstream America

The “Trojan Horse” vs the “recall” oops, I mean “Consumer warranty extension”

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?...6&f=00&fg=copy
( ^ following the advertisement, of course)

Thanks for the freebie NBC !
Ken G., do you feel more “pressure” ?

Have a good weekend folks, I’m outa here.
If anyone asked me any questions back yonder, I'll try to get to them sometime next week.

[WickyWoo]

My particular interest here is Kubrick's 2001, which I do have on laserdisc. It's cinemascope format and detail screams for the 16:9 ratio of HD. I know it will be a long(?) wait for the Criterion version because Criterion has announced they will wait for the format war to be resolved before releasing any HD discs.

Criterion will never get 2001 again, Their days of getting major studio films, except some from Disney because the directors started out with Criterion and there's special arrangements are pretty much done since the studios found out how much money they can make.

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by cjamescook

My particular interest here is Kubrick's 2001, which I do have on laserdisc. It's cinemascope format and detail screams for the 16:9 ratio of HD.

2001 is 70mm. It be great to see it on HD

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

quick question about Close Encounters,

you mentioned that you guys had problems with the "orignial master"... that could could either mean that you had problems with the *old legacy* master on the shelf from a few years back, or that you had problems with the original master prior to digital cleanup after a new film-transfer was performed.

Hoping it's the latter... please no more 5th Element debacles!

Can you clarify?

thanks!

dave

David, I found this question floating in the Current Statistics: Blu-ray Disc vs HD-DVD thread (which is near the Insiders thread) so I moved it here where hopefuly is where it belongs

And to add my 2cents to what you said, I hope we all can be a little more clear with the term "original master" when using it relative to films, be it in questions or answer. Does one refer to the original X-definition tape master? the digital intermediate? the original negative?
On audio (LPs CDs etc), the "original master" of a recording is the stereo or mono mixdown master tape (now these days there might be multichannel mixdowns too) Because going further back in the recording chain entails a remix and going forward is just a copy or duplicate so it's not the "original master". For movies the original cut negative (or A/B rolls sometimes), or now we have films finished in DIs, are the equivalent of 'original master' in that sense and anything further down the chain is a copy, and anything "earlier" would imply redoing of parts (like SW's digital recompositing of camera SFX elements) but when reading discussions about HD, people use the term "original master" or "the master" relatively losely without specifying what, and they might mean derivations from those elements, for example some video format master transfered from the original element, or sometimes an intermediate film element, or the actual original itself, etc etc.


A little more specifiness instead of an all encompassing "master"

Carry on

[DSET]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

The only word I have gotten recently from Warner is the following

~ Batman Begins definitely out in 2007 with or without IME
~ Troy Director's Cut may get pushed back a week or so
~ Terminator 3 should be out this year possibly in September/October

They are trying hard to make sure that The Matrix will be out before Christmas but unlike Batman Begins they will NOT release it without the IME, or at least that is their current position.

I'm a BIg BBIIIG comic book nut

Im going to sell my HDDVD player based on that you presume BB will be coming out on Blu ray

should i?
is youre rumor or inside info strong??? even if its somewhat strong I will sell this

because I know its gonna be worth nothing in less than a year

been doing some research
Scarface Gladiator
only two biggies universal has
gladiator might make me keep my 200$ 360player but they havent even announced it

[tvted]

Originally Posted by gandley

i dont think it means that. it dosent seem to imply hardware at all.

I think my words might not have been clear. I did not mean that the hardware would not be capable - that is engineering. I meant that it seems like it will be hardware "choice" - as my question implied i.e. a clarification of whether HD streams are mandatory. In other words it might be that a BD manufacturer might be able to utilize a decoder that is only SD capable. The disk of course would have to query the player as to its capabilities - but until someone clarifies what is mandatory then this is all spec.

It is enough for me that it seems there is no limitation on the stream capability.

ted

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by JackBauer24

Is Bram Stoker's Dracula going to be the extended version?

It will be the extended version unless the studio decides to use seamless branching again on this title.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Azumi

hello Paidgeek,

The Target deal in the US will put Blu-ray in front of the eyes of millions of consumers, including most people that will want to be reassured that BD is here to stay.

Are you going to prepare with the Blu studios some promotional material (like leaflets, samplers) that will provide hints of what's coming up in 2008?

On a general level, are you also going to provide appropriate educational material, in order to explain to consumers what HDTV and Blu-ray are?

On a final note, do you reckon that similar deals might be made as well in international territories? European countries never seem to get sweet deals (like the 5-disc offer) and in some nations sales under cost are prohibited, which means that those customers always pay the full price.

You are asking good questions, but I don't have the answers. I suspect Sony Electronics will do their best to tell the Blu-ray story at the demonstration area in Target.

I really don't know what sort of promotion program might be provided outside the US.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by ra1024

Paid, thanks for the info on the Spielberg release. I had 2 follow up questions on this and I suspect the first may not be one you can comment on.

1) Is this an indication that Spielberg has chosen BR? We were led to believe that he was not allowing his films to be released on HD DVD so this would tend to say that he has either chosen BR over HD DVD or is at least supporting BR while not ruling out supporting HD DVD.

2) If Spielberg did not want his films released in HD yet, did he have the ability to stop this particular film from being released on BR ( either contractually or by his industry influence)? The HD DVD supporters seem to be arguing that he doesn't control this release and this doesn't mean anything. I had always thought that he had control over his films and this at the very least showed he was supporting BR even if not exclusively.

Your comments about wanting to make him happy implied that he had some say in this but I was hoping for a definitive answer.

Thanks again for your time.

I do not have any direct information about Steven preferring one format over the other. I have heard rumors, but they are just that.

The studios may or may not have the right to release a film contractually, but it would be a mistake not to consult with the film maker if they can be reached.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by The Big Blue

From the official pr



This is a little worrying. First gen players won't be able to do the SB? I'm not too worried about my PS3 but this will provide fodder for the HD DVD supporters.

The branching should work fine on all of the players. I have heard nothing to the contrary from our engineers who are doing the testing.